She left her first husband in 1981, taking her three children with her, because he was abusive. “Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages. They say endurance means a good wife but most women endure abusive relationship because they are not empowered economically, they depend on their husbands,” she told the BBC about her decision.

A senior ruling party official openly said Malawi was “not ready for a female president”, while First Lady Callista Mutharika said Mrs Banda was fooling herself that she was a serious politician – saying she was a mere market woman selling fritters.”She will never be president, how can a mandasi [fritter] seller be president?” Mrs Mutharika said. Mrs Banda took all this in her stride, saying she was glad to be identified with market women since more than 80% of Malawian women belong to that category: “Yes, she’s right, I’m indeed a mandasi seller and I’m proud of it because the majority of women in Malawi are like us, mandasi sellers.”

The country’s oppressive “life president,” who ruled from 1963 to 1994 (!) forbade women from wearing pants and short skirts. Banda has participated in protest marches in defense of women’s rights to wear what they want to wear. Earlier this year, Banda’s predecessor as president told the police to arrest anyone who attacked a woman for wearing pants in public. “Some of us have spent our entire life fighting for the freedom of women,” Banda told the protestors. “It’s shocking some men want to take us back to bondage.”